The Breastfeeding Blueprint

Live virtual class · How breastfeeding is established, what’s normal in the first weeks, and when to seek support.

Taught by Joanna Patane-Hopkins, RN, IBCLC

Joanna Patane-Hopkins, RN, IBCLC

Meet your instructor

A learned skill, taught before you need it

Breastfeeding Blueprint is taught by Joanna Patane-Hopkins, RN, IBCLC. As a registered nurse and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, she brings the clinical depth of a hospital lactation team into a small virtual classroom. Close enough to ask the questions you’d otherwise save for the bedside.

The class is the prenatal companion to that practice: a virtual session that walks through latch, positioning, supply, and the first two weeks at home so you arrive at delivery with a working mental model, not a panic plan.

Joanna Patane-Hopkins, RN, IBCLC · Live virtual

Breastfeeding is a learned skill. Most families are not told that before their baby arrives.

The early days involve more than most prenatal education covers. How milk production is established, how a newborn signals hunger and fullness, what typical feeding patterns look like, and what distinguishes normal variation from something that warrants attention are all things that come up fast and matter immediately.

Without that knowledge, it is easy to misread what is happening. Common experiences get treated as problems. Problems get overlooked because they seem normal.

This class is designed to close that gap before your baby arrives. Taught by an IBCLC with specialized training in human lactation, it gives you a clear picture of how breastfeeding typically begins, what the first weeks often involve, and how to recognize when additional support makes sense.

What you’ll learn

Curriculum overview

How milk production is established and what affects supply in the early weeks
What newborn feeding behavior typically looks like in the first days after birth
Common challenges families encounter as breastfeeding is established
The range of normal feeding patterns and when additional support is warranted
How IBCLC-level care differs from general nursing or pediatric guidance

Who this is for

Best fit

Parents who plan to breastfeed and want a clear picture of how the process typically works before their baby arrives
Families who have heard a lot of general advice and want to understand the physiology behind it
Parents who want to know what normal variation looks like so they can tell the difference between a common experience and one that needs attention
Anyone who prefers to understand how something works rather than just what to do

Class format

How it runs

This is a live, interactive session held via video. The link is sent after booking. The class is small-group, and questions are welcome throughout. You attend from home. No travel required.

Upcoming sessions